Dominican Convent High School (commonly referred to as Convent) is a private

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

day school for girls in

Harare Harare (; formerly Salisbury ) is the capital and most populous city of Zimbabwe. The city proper has an area of 940 km2 (371 mi2) and a population of 2.12 million in the 2012 census and an estimated 3.12 million in its metropolitan ...

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and ...

. One of the oldest established schools in

, Dominican Convent was founded in 1892 by Mother Patrick Cosgrave, an

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, with 10 pupils. The school was co-educational, but after ten years, a separate school, Hartmann House, was established for boys. Mother Patrick founded the Dominican Convent in Harare in 1892. She also started the first hospital in what was then

Southern Rhodesia Southern Rhodesia was a landlocked self-governing British Crown colony in southern Africa, established in 1923 and consisting of British South Africa Company (BSAC) territories lying south of the Zambezi River. The region was informally kno ...

. There is a museum commemorating her in the grounds of the Mukwati Building on Fourth Street in Harare, in what was the original hospital's mortuary.

Academic

The Dominican Convent is an all-girls school. The Primary school is run by Sister Tsitsi and the High school by Sister Kudzai. There are three streams from Form 1 to Form 4. Form 1 to Form 2 follow the same curriculum consisting of English, Mathematics, Religious and Moral Education, Science, French, Shona, History, Geography, Art, Food & Nutrition, Fashion & Fabric, Computers, Education for Life and Physical Education. Form 3 and 4 have a variety of subject options. In Form 3, the girls write a national paper called ZIMSEC for Shona and history (both being optional) and English language, which is compulsory. Cambridge 'O' Level Examinations are written at Form 4 Level. The Sixth Form has three streams: Business Administration, which focuses on tourism and secretary courses, Arts and Sciences. Cambridge 'A' Level Examinations are written at the end of Upper Six, with students now able to write the Cambridge 'AS’ Level Examinations, at the end of their Lower Six year as of 2019. The Primary school caters for pupils of ages 5 – 13. These are formally called grades which start from grade 1 to grade seven. At grade seven pupils write a national exam called ZIMSEC. If the pupil passes with a pass usually known as 5 points or fail with a maximum of 25 points they are awarded a certificate. * Cambridge International Examinations for both IGCSE, O Level, AS and A Level * ZIMSEC O Level * City and Guilds

Sports

Dominican Convent offers sporting activities including athletics, basketball, field hockey, indoor hockey, golf, karate, soccer, swimming, tennis, rugby, squash, netball, volleyball, table tennis, and aerobics.

Cultural activities

The school offers various extra curricular activities including chess (one of the best girls' teams in the country), Quiz, Debate, Public speaking clubs (Gavel club, Toastmasters and Orators), First Aid, Choir (English choir and Shona choir) Lifeline, International Current Affairs, Interact and Wildlife.

Notable alumni

* Maggie Chapman - Rector of the

University of Aberdeen , mottoeng = The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom , established = , type = Public research universityAncient university , endowment = £58.4 million (2021) , budget ...

, Co-convener of the

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* Kirsty Coventry - 2008 Olympic gold medalist * Bona Mugabe - daughter of former Zimbabwean President Robert Gabriel Mugabe * Haru Mutasa - Journalist * Doris Lessing - 2007 Nobel Prize in Literature Laureate *

Danai Gurira Danai Jekesai Gurira (; born February 14, 1978) is an American-Zimbabwean actress and playwright. She is best known for her starring roles as Michonne on the AMC horror drama series '' The Walking Dead'' (2012–2020, 2022) and as Okoye in th ...

- Actor and Playwright *Sister Catherine Jackson - Founder of the Dorothy Duncan Braille Library *Lisa Doris Armstrong - Founder of Ugogo Africa

Achievements

Dominican Convent Harare was rated in the Top Ten High Schools in Zimbabwe. In 2010, the Lower Six Management of Business company, Lynx, came first in the national Junior Achievement competition. Lynx came third in the regional JA competition.

References

External links

Official Website - Dominican Convent HarareOfficial Website - Dominican Convent Primary Harare
{{Zimbabwe private schools Dominican schools in Zimbabwe Schools in Harare Educational institutions established in 1892 Girls' schools in Zimbabwe Girls' high schools in Zimbabwe High schools in Zimbabwe Cambridge schools in Zimbabwe Private schools in Zimbabwe Day schools in Zimbabwe Catholic secondary schools in Zimbabwe 1890s establishments in Southern Rhodesia 1892 establishments in the British Empire